Formulas for estimating living stature based on bony pelvic measurements reconstructed from computed tomography images.

Abstract

Introduction: A major challenge in anthropology is the estimation of human stature based on human bones since the stature of cadavers is slightly different from that of living humans. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of estimating living stature in Japanese subjects based on sacral and coccygeal lengths as measured on three-dimensional (3D) models of the femur and pelvis reconstructed from cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) images. Subjects and methods: For this cross-sectional study, 106 healthy Japanese subjects (54 men and 52 women) were recruited. We measured the distances from the anterosuperior iliac spine (ASIS) to the most posterior point of the ischial spine (IS) (ASIS-IS), and from the ASIS to the most inferior point of the ischial tuberosity (IT) (ASIS-IT) on 3D bone models reconstructed from multi-slice CT images. Correlations of living stature with ASIS-IS and/or ASIS-IT on the left and right sides of the pelvis were evaluated. Multiple regression equations were derived and used as formulas for living stature estimation. Results: In men, living stature had strong correlations with ASIS-IS + ASIS-IT on both the left and right sides; Pearson's correlation coefficients were 0.717 and 0.706, respectively. In contrast, in women, living stature showed stronger correlations with all of the studied parameters; Pearson's correlation coefficients were highest for ASIS-IS + ASIS-IT on both the left and right sides (r = 0.753 and 0.744, respectively) compared with those in men. Formulas based on ASIS-IS + ASIS-IT provided the best estimation in both men and women, while ASIS-IS alone demonstrated a better estimation than ASIS-IT on both the left and right sides. Conclusions: This study revealed that ASIS-IS and ASIS-IT measured from CT images were reliable predictors of living stature in the Japanese population. Our estimation formulas were derived from measurements of living stature that were not affected by the physiological changes observed in cadavers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to derive estimation formulas based on living stature. Our method may be useful in the identification of disaster victims, wherein long bones are usually not found intact but pelvic bones are. Furthermore, the findings could be relevant to the field of anthropology for estimating living stature.